I’ve got to say, this one surprised me. Because I don’t usually read modern coming-of-age stories preferring fantasy instead (I know, how positively boring of me, preferring a fantasy world more than real world) but this one, man… this story will stay with me.
Because Simon and his story is special. It really brings out the struggles of finding out you’re different from what everyone considers “normal". The story follows a series of email exchanges between Simon, a closeted gay 16-year old at Creekwood High School and the mysterious Blue, his pen-pal and recent crush. Simon is scared to come out to his family and friends, worried how they’ll take the news and finds a sympathizer in Blue when he posts anonymously in CreekSecrets, the High School’s infamous gossip page on Tumblr. And thus begins a series of emails — hesitant in the beginning and slowly blossoming into friendship (and maybe more?) — as Simon and Blue find comfort in one another. They keep it secret though, taking care not to mention anything that could potentially reveal their identities to one another.
And then, shit gets real when one guy from his year, Martin Addison, happens to read and then take screenshots of Simon’s mails when he accidentally comes across them. Martin begins to blackmail Simon into tricking his friend Abby to go out with him in exchange for keeping his silence. Simon is struggling because on one hand, Blue definitely cannot know this happened but on the other, how could he deliberately cheat one of his closest friends like that!? Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Simon reluctantly invites Martin to hang out with him and Abby. However, the drama is only getting started because Simon can clearly see sparks flying between his friend Nick and Abby, while he suspects his other best friend Leah is in love with Nick too.
Things turn even more sour when Martin takes revenge on Simon because Abby rejects his advances. Now Simon has to face the reality of getting outed against his will, Blue knowing his identity but him still clueless of who Blue could be and his friend Leah’s hurt feelings. Simon repeatedly tries to figure out Blue’s identity as he tries to figure out life as a gay teen, navigate high school and friendships in the meantime.
This quote really struck a chord with me; Simon writes to Blue —
“Sometimes, it seems like everyone knows who I am except me.”
Why Simon’s story is so relatable is because it’s not a perfect love story with cute, romantic moments — rather, it’s because Simon makes mistakes and he fumbles as he tries to figure out his feelings. Also, lets be real, we’ve all faced an identity crisis, even if not the same as Simon, at some point in life. Simon and his Blue gave me a fresh perspective and hope to fall in love!
I also want to point out how wrong Martin is for what he did. You do not get to take away something that important from someone just because of some petty revenge or misunderstanding. You also do not get to blame someone when a girl rejects your advances; it’s 2021- grow up, move on, do not be a creep (can be taken as a general advice to anyone reading). At the same time, I also do not condone what Simon did, enabling Martin’s behaviour in the beginning but I do get why he did it.
Now, for those of you who would rather see the story than read about it, Love, Simon is a beautiful movie adaptation where Nick Robinson brings Simon’s character to life perfectly. And to those of you who want more of Creekwood, Love, Victor expands on the same world with different characters, storylines but still sticking to the main theme of self expression. Love, Victor streams on Hulu and the second season just came out! Yes, I binged it as soon as I could and it’s amazing! Go watch and come back so we can gush about Venji being endgame together. #isaidwhatisaid
This June, I had a goal in my mind to read as many LGBTQ+ books as I could — so I could educate myself, learn more about this community that is still in need of so much support, unlearn my past behaviours and just become a better ally. I don’t know if anyone needs to hear this, but hey — I see you, I accept you. You are loved, just for who you are.
Love, AM. ❤
